Night Club Band
by MisaMai
Summary: Zexion is a major introvert and all of his friends are the exact opposite. He gets dragged to parties and clubs all the time and he normally doesn't want to got but what if something changed? Zemyx, MarlyXVexen, AkuRoku, and LarxNami...
1. Chapter 1

Zexion sat at the bar of the night club, his eyes glued to the performers on stage. Larxene had forced him to come to this awful place with her, Marluxia (who was currently flirting with a tall, dorky looking man with long, blonde hair), and Xigbar. He would much rather be home studying with Lexaeus or something but now he was looking at the band. The singer was a tall man with the physique of a woman and long ginger hair that was spiked like a hedgehog. Next to him was the base guitarist who was a kid with spiky blonde hair and who was obviously checking out the singer's ass and the drummer looked like he could easily squash any of them with his imposing figure and creepy dreadlocks. The person Zexion was staring at, however, was the Sitarist. The band had apparently decided not to use a guitar but to go for a Sitar instead. The sound was almost as interesting as the Sitarist's hair cut which was a mix of a mullet and Mohawk. The hair wasn't what had Zexion transfixed, however, it was his piercing eyes that reminded him of the ocean. Xigbar appeared out of nowhere and slung his arm over Zexion's shoulders. "Enjoying the music, little dude?" He asked.

Zexion sighed. "It's the only good thing here…do you know this band?"

Xigbar laughed. 'Yah! Of course! They are the only reason Larxey and I wanted to come here in the first place!" Zexion raised an eyebrow. "Dude, Demyx and I are, like, best friends, man! And Larxene is friends with Roxas and Axel, although Demyx is scared shitless of her!" He laughed and Zexion gave him a questioning look. "Oh, the dude singing is Axel, the one checking out his ass is Roxas, and the sitar guy is Demyx. The guy on the drums was introduced to them by Lexaeus…Xaldin I think…he scares me, dude!" He started to walk away. "By they way, we're meeting with them after the show so don't think of going home anytime soon, little dude!" He yelled over his shoulder before he disappeared into the crowd.

Zexion rolled his eyes and took a sip of his beer, swallowing it with a look of disgust on his face. He had never really liked beer but he felt like, if anything good were to happen tonight, he would have to be totally buzzed. Larxene and Marluxia, along with the blonde stranger walked towards him. "Hey, Zexy, I didn't know you drank." Larxene commented.

"Don't call me that." Zexion told her as he set his glass down. "Who's your new friend?" He asked to try to change the topic. Alcohol wasn't exactly fun to talk about.

"This is Vexen." A drunken Marly answered his question. "And he's the sweetest thing sense sugar."

Vexen gave Zexion an awkward smile. "My friends dragged me here. Otherwise I would never be seen in a place like this."

"Don't be so uptight." Marly gave his ass a squeeze and Vexen jumped and made a squeaking noise. "Enjoy yourself, sexy."

"He's not this bad when he's sober, trust me." Larxene told him.

"Hey, Marly, don't get too excited." Xigbar reemerged. "The long haired dude is in our biology class with professor Xemnas." He slung his arm over Larxene's shoulders and winked at Zexion. "He's probably the smartest kid in the whole damn class, right Zexy?"

"Stop calling me that." Zexion mumbled as Larxene threw his arm off of her like it was poisonous. "And, yah, he gets better grades then me."

Marly shrugged and Xigbar shrugged and whispered to Vexen. "Sorry, dude," He apologized. "That usually works."

"That's it for tonight, guys!" Zexion turned around to see the band leaving the stage and Axel saying goodbye at the mic. "But never fear, we'll be back tomorrow at 7, got it memorized?" A few girls squealed and Zexion rolled his eyes before Larxene pulled him off the bar stool he had been sitting on and he immediately shrunk about two inches as his feet touched the ground.

"Come on, we're going to go say yo to the guys." She dragged him along. They made it to the door to the back room and saw two guys, one with long silver hair and the other (who was much shorter than the other) with brown spiky hair, making out directly in front of the door. "Cut it out and let us in, Riku." Larxene said annoyed.

Riku broke the kiss and sighed. "Roxas just introduced me to his twin brother and I couldn't resist…" He told her as the moved to the side, the brunette blushing wildly. "Go on in." Riku said and held the boy close to his side.

"So you're Sora, huh?" Larxene smiled at him. "You're fine, kid, we don't judge. Just watch out for Riku. He's a horny bastard." Riku glared at her and she laughed. "Have fun you two!" She opened the door and everyone filled into the backstage area.

"Demyx, my man!" Xigbar and Demyx exchanged a rather elaborate handshake.

"Xigbar! How's it going? How's collage? Does it suck?" Demyx's voice was exactly how Zexion had imagined it and he felt himself blush. Lucky for him his face was almost completely covered by his hair so no one noticed.

"No, dude, you would like it. Well, except for the thinking part." Demyx fake pouted for a second as Xigbar laughed.

"Do the words 'I'm gay' not register with you, Larxene?" Zexion recognized the singer's voice and looked over to see him with his arm slung over Roxas's shoulders.

"Sorry, sorry!" Larxene laughed. "I was joking, you know! Hey, Roxas, where's Namine?"

"In the van." Roxas gestured to the back door and Larxene almost ran outside.

"I'm not straight either, Axel." She called over her shoulder as she left, the door slamming behind her.

"Little dude?" Xigbar appeared in front of him. "You alright, man?"

Zexion shrugged. "Why was Larxene so eager to see…uh…"

"What, Namine?" Xigbar laughed. "They have been together for, like, a month, dude. I keep forgetting you don't know anyone here. Yo, Dem!"

Demyx came skipping (literally skipping) over to Xigbar. "Yah? What is this the kid you were talking about?"

Zexion felt himself blush again and was so glad he had gotten this hair cut. "I'm Zexion." He said in his usual bland voice.

Demyx took his hand and Zexion couldn't help but notice how soft his skin was. "I'm Demyx. Nice to meet you!"

Zexion shook his hand quickly before withdrawing his own. "Don't mind him if he doesn't talk much. He's not the most social little dude."

Demyx laughed, a sound like bells, and Zexion felt his stomach do a flip. What was wrong with him? "Hey, that's ok!" Demyx smiled at Zexion. "Can I call you Zexy?"

"No." Zexion said automatically before slapping himself internally.

Demyx frowned. "But Zexion is such a long name…"

"Demyx!" Xaldin called from the door. "We're leaving!"

"Dude! Can we have a ride? Zexion and I took the bus."

"And we'll take the buss back." Zexion sighed. He didn't know what he felt or why he was feeling it but it was new and altogether confusing and he wanted to get away so he could, hopefully, stop feeling what ever it was he was feeling.

"But, little dude, the bus costs money." Xigbar complained. "And they can fit, like fifteen people in their van."

"Demyx, we will leave without you, man! Hurry up!" Axel called.

"Hey, hey, Axel!" Demyx called. "Can we give everybody a ride?"

"Sure, just hurry up! Roxas wants to go to bed early tonight. He has a headache!"

Demyx grinned and grabbed Xigbar's sleeve, pulling him along after him. "Come on, Zexion!" He called. "You're a friend now too so we will give you a ride too, ok? Come on!"

Zexion followed them hesitantly out the back door an into the graffiti littered van. The had entered the van through the massive back doors and everyone, with the exception of Xaldin (who was driving) and Roxas (Who was reclining in the passenger's seat trying to sleep off his headache) were sitting on the floor of the back of the van because there were no seats back there. "Sorry, guys." Axel said as everyone (including Marly and Vexen) climbed in. "We generally use this thing to transport equipment, not people. The club is letting us use it for storage space for a while."

Zexion sat down in the corner formed by the back of the driver's seat and the side of the van. Demyx sat down next to him and Zexion felt himself tense up. What was wrong with him? Seriously? "Hey, look, the emo kid is in the corner where he belongs." Larxene teased. Namine was seated on her lap, a blush engulfing her pale cheeks  
"Larxene, that's not very nice." Namine said in her quite innocent voice.

"Hush, kitty." Larxene purred as she planted a kiss on Namine's lips. Namine pulled away quickly and blushed wildly. "Aw, I'm sorry, kitten, I forgot." Larxene stroked her hair. "Not in public. I understand. I'm sorry…"

Zexion turned his gaze to Vexen and Marly. Marluxia had apparently fallen asleep on Vexen's soulder and Vexen was sitting uncomfortably, trying not to move. Zexion sighed and looked pulled his knees up to his chest so he could rest his chin on them. "We should play the name game!" Demyx interjected after a moment of silence.

"What?" Axel questioned him.

"Well, we have some new friends and no one really knows anything about Xaldin so we should play the name game! I'll start!" The excitement was thick in his voice. "I'm Demyx and my favorite color is blue because that's the color of water and I want to be a famous musician in the future!" He turned to Axel who was sitting beside him. "Your turn, Axey!"

"Ok, fine. I'm Axel and my favorite color is red because of fire and I want to be the hottest guy in history, not that I have to try very hard." He poked Marluxia in the ribs and he sat up with a jump. "We're playing the name game, got it memorized?"

Marluxia nodded. "Fine, fine…I'm Marluxia I like pink and I want to be a botanist."

"You never said why you like pink, silly!" Demyx laughed.

"Because a lot of my favorite flowers are pink, that's why." He turned to Vexen and smiled at him. "You're turn, Vexy."

"I don't want to play…"

"Please?" Marluxia gave him a puppy dog face and Vexen sighed.

"I'm Vexen and I like the color white because of snow and…er…"

"What you want to be?" Demyx asked.

"Right. I want to be a microphysicist."

"I don't know what that is…" Demyx chimed in.

"It will take forever to explain." Zexion sighed. "So don't ask…" Again he slapped himself internally.

"But I want to know." Demyx pouted.

"I'll explain later." Zexion murmered. "Let's just finish the game…"

"Grumpy gills…" Demyx frowned and Larxene started talking.

"I'm Larxene, I like yellow because of lightning, and I am going to be a rocket scientist." She kissed Namine on the cheek. "You're turn, kitten."

"I'm Namine…I like the color white…like unused paper…and…I'm going to be an artist…" She looked over at Roxas's seat. "Is he awake?"

"His name is Roxas, he likes green because of nature, he wants to be a paleontologist. Xaldin's turn" Axel said, not wanting to wake Roxas up.

"I'm Xaldin." Xaldin said. Zexion noted that his voice sounded like rocks scraping against each other. "I like the color brown because it reminds me of home and I want to be a veterinarian." Demyx tried to suppress a laugh and Axel looked confused.

"Seriously?" Axel questioned.

"Yah…" Xaldin continued driving.

"I think it's sweet." Namine offered and Axel shrugged.

"I'm Xigbar." Xigbar said after a small awkward silence. "I like orange because of Naruto." Demyx snickered and Xigbar elbowed him. "And I'm going to be a neurosurgeon."

"Zexy's turn!" Demyx chimed in.

"Don't call me that." Zexion said instinctively. "My name is Zexion. I like the color black because it's full of mystery and I want to be a cardiac surgeon." He glanced at Demyx who smiled at him and he felt his heart stop for a moment.

"Vexen." Xaldin called from the driver's seat. "Where do you live?"

"Laurence street." Vexen replied and the van took a left turn.

"You're not coming home with me?" Marluxia pouted.

"No." Vexen replied as the van stopped and Axel opened the back and Vexen hopped out. "Here." He handed Marly a piece of paper and walked quickly into an apartment complex. Marly looked at the piece of paper and grinned before he shoved it in his pocket.

"What about you, Zexion?" Xaldin asked.

"He lives next door to me." Xigbar smiled. "It's programmed into your GPS." After Xaldin dropped Xigbar, Zexion, Laexene, and Marluxia off at the collage Zexion went straight up to his room which he shared, regrettably, with Marluxia.

"Zexion, you're scaring me…" Marluxia said as he plopped down on the couch to watch some tv before he went to bed.

Zexion looked at him confused. "Why?" He asked cautiously.

"Your smiling." He said simply as he turned on That 70's Show.

Zexion quickly walked into the bedroom and closed the door. What was wrong with him? Seriously?


	2. Chapter 2

Zexion woke annoyed as the phone rang next to his ear. "Hello?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Hey, little dude!" Xigbar practically yelled through the phone. "Hope you don't have a hangover!"

Zexion sat up and rubbed his forehead, reaching for his glasses. "No, I barely drank anything…"

"Good! Guess what today is?"

"The first day of the rest of my life?" Zexion stood up and stretched as he sleepily walked over to the mini fridge and grabbed a carton of milk with his name on it. "Do I really care what day it is, Xigbar?"

"Yes, you do, little dude. It's my birthday!" Zexion looked over at the calendar and noticed he was right. It was February second, the second day of the second month, and it was circled in glittery pink pen with 'Xigbar' written on it. "So you are going to go party with me!"

Zexion groaned. "can't I just give you a present and get on with my life? I don't like parties."

Xigbar laughed loudly. "No! You are going to have a blast, little dude, trust me!"

"Fine…happy fucking birthday, douche bag."

"Love you too, Zexy!" Zexion hit the end button on his phone.

"Don't call me that…" He said to no one in particular and walked over to the couch, chugging his milk as he walked. He threw his empty carton into a pile of trash in the corner before looking at the sleeping Marluxia on the couch. "How the hell does he fall asleep watching tv?" He asked himself as he shoved his room mate's legs off the couch so he could sit down to watch the news. Unfortunately for Marluxia when his feet hit the floor the rest of his body fell off the couch as well.

"AH!" His eyes shot open when he hit the floor. "What the hell?" He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Zexion accusingly.

"That's what you get for falling asleep on the couch." Zexion muttered and stood up. "Well, it looks like rain today." He started to walk back to his room to get dressed.

"What? That's all you wanted to watch? The weather? You didn't have to wake me up for that! Asshole!" Zexion rolled his eyes and threw on some clothes. He showered at night so he didn't need to wait for Marluxia to finish giving himself a beauty treatment. "Hey, it's Xigbar's birthday today! Shit, I've got to get him a present!" Marluxia burst into the bedroom then into the bathroom to shower and curl his hair and whatever else he did in the mornings. "Zexion, we're out of shampoo!" He called. Zexion sighed and pulled a half empty bottle of shampoo out from under the bed before tossing it into the bathroom. "Thanks, Zexy!" Marluxia turned the water on.

"Don't call me that!" Zexion called as he grabbed his 'emo bag' and headed out the door to go find Xigbar a present before his first class.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Zexion hadn't bothered to put in contacts that morning so his friends were constantly laughing at him but it's not like he cared. In his first class he had given Xigbar his present which he loved. It was an eye patch with a X on it. The X was two crossing knives. Xigbar had changed his eye patch right away and had proudly told everyone that the two knives symbolized his love of culinary arts. Anyway, after school Xigbar caught Zexion before he boarded the bus. "Hey, little dude, have you seen Lexaeus today?"

Zexion shook his head and sighed. "Unfortunately I haven't I called him and he's not feeling well." He gave Xigbar a look. "Why do you ask?"

Xigbar frowned. "Damn…he was going to go party with us…oh well." He shrugged and slung his arm over his short friend's shoulders. "You're coming, right, little dude?"

Zexion shrugged the man's arm off. "Why the hell would I want to go to another party? They aren't even any fun."

"Aw, I was looking forward to you coming, Zexion." Zexion turned his head to see Xigbar's unfortunate little sister walking towards them. "After all, you are the only friend my older brother has that doesn't get drunk all the time."

Xigbar stuck his tongue out and the girl laughed. "Wait…Xion aren't you too young to go to clubs? You're only 17 after all…"

Xion shook her head, her short black hair bobbing around her face. She was a pretty girl, Zexion had to admit, but she wasn't really his type. Plus he had known her sense she was in elementary school so it would be kind of awkward. "I'm eighteen, remember?"

Xigbar laughed. "No, you're only four, sis." He teased and ruffled her hair.

She frowned and batted his hand away. "It's not funny!"

Zexion grinned. "That's right. I keep forgetting your birthday is on Febuary 29th…And sorry, that was a miscalculation on my part."

Xion shook her head. "No problem. But now that I'm technically an adult I can go to the club, I just can't drink yet."

"Come on, Xion, you act like that fake ID I got for you doesn't even exist." Xion made a hushing noise and Xigbar laughed.

"Hey, Xigbar! Zexy!"

"Don't call me that." Zexion muttered as his flamboyant room mate came running up to them.

"Xigy, I haven't seen you all day!" He held out a pink to Xigbar and grinned. "I gift from me to you! Happy Birthday!"

Xigbar frowned at the bag as if it would bite him. "What's with your obsession with pink, Marly? It's creepy. You're a dude, dude."

Marluxia sighed. "Just open the present already!"

"Fine, fine!" Xigbar pulled out the pink tissue paper and pulled out a box. Upon opening it he realized it was filled with a bunch of one dollar bills. A few of them fluttered down to the ground and Xigbar's mouth popped open. "How much is in here?"

"$100." Marly grinned. "You like it?"

"Thanks, man!" He gave his friend and side hug and closed the box while Xion picked up the few bills that had fallen to the floor.

Marly grinned when he noticed Xion. "Xion!" He exclaimed as he gave her a hug. "How have you been, sweetie?"

Xion hugged him back and smiled. "I've been great! You?"

"Fantastic! I met this guy at the club the other day and he's such a-"

"Can you two gossip later?" Larxene yawned as she walked up to the group. "I want to hear what you have to say about your new boy toy too, you know."

Marly gave her a playful shove. "Oh, you'll get all the details, trust me."

Zexion rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Where's Namine?"

Larxene gave him a look. "What's it to you, emo kid?" She shook her head and grinned. "I'm kidding! She's gone out to finish Xigbar's present. She's been working really hard on it and she doesn't want to see you 'till it's done." She winked at Xigbar and he smiled.

"Her stuff is always awesome!" He put his arm around his sister's shoulders. "She's probably the most creative person I know. Want to give me a hint on what it is?"

Larxene made a motion like she was zipping her lips shut and throwing out the key and Xion's eyes lit up. "I haven't seen Namine in forever! How is she?"

"Pretty good." Larxene winked. "I'm sure she'll tell you everything later."

"Xion!" A red headed girl ran up to her and put her hands on her knees like she was trying to catch her breath. "What the hell! Why didn't you wait for me?"

Xion giggled. "I'm sorry, Kairi, I had to say hi to my brother. It is his birthday, after all." Xion turned to her brother and smiled. "This is the girl I was telling you about."

Xigbar grinned at her. "So you're Kairi, huh? Nice to meet you!"

"Xion?" Marly teased. "You have friends?"

Xion nudged him and giggled. "Where are Sora and Roxas?"

"Oh, they are coming." Kairi looked over her shoulder. "They wanted to stop at the café so they could pick everyone else up before everyone met here."

Zexion raised an eyebrow. "Everyone else?"

"Yah, the band." Kairi smiled. "Roxas and Sora go to the same high school as Xion and me so we know the band and hang out all the time. I don't get to see them though, 'cuz I don't turn 18 'till October 17th. It really sucks!"

Zexion thought about the statement for a moment. "Then…how old are Roxas and Sora?"

"18 sense December." Xion grinned.

"How old is Axel?" Zexion asked, hoping the answer would be somewhere in his early twenties at least.

"Axel's 28." Larxene looked at her slate haired friend curiously. "Why? The age difference too much for you?"

Zexion wrinkled his nose. "Pedo…"

"Why are you talking about me, douche bags?" Axel appeared behind Larxene with his arm slung around Roxas's shoulders. "And did I just hear you call me a pedo? What was your name again? Zexy?"

"Don't call me that. My name is Zexion and I would prefer if you use my full first name, thank you."

"And I would prefer you not judge me at all. If you play with fire you'll get burned." Axel winked and Zexion raised an eyebrow.

"You're that flaming, huh?" Marly cut in causing Xigbar to burst out in laughter as Axel shot him a look.

"Come on, guys!" Demyx appeared from down the street with Sora and Xaldin. "Let's get going already!"

"Dem, we don't have to be there 'till eight." Axel told him. "It's only four."

Demyx shook his head and grinned from ear to ear. "I have a surprise for Xigbar!" He was practically bouncing with excitement and Zexion felt his chest tighten as a small smile crept onto his features. What was with this guy? Why was he so easy to like? "Where's Namine? I want her to be there too because she helped me a lot with it."

"She'll be here soon." Larxene said just as Namine appeared beside her.

"Sorry I'm late!" She bowed slightly to the group. "Xigbar, this is for you." She handed him what looked like a long flat box wrapped in brightly colored wrapping paper. "Oh! Hello, Xion. Nice to see you again!"

Xion gave Namine a quick hug. "You too! According to Larxene you have a lot to tell me."

"That can come later!" Demyx grabbed both Xigbar and Zexion's wrists and started dragging them down the street. "Come on! This way! This is going to be awesome!" Zexion felt a blush spread across his features and he wondered why Demyx had grabbed his wrist instead of someone else's. And, on that note, why did he care so much?


	3. Chapter 3

Demyx led the group to a park. Xigbar had broken out of his mullet haired friend's grip long ago but Zexion hadn't. Not only was he too weak to break it but he didn't want to for a reason he couldn't place. Demyx made Zexion happy but more than that he made him feel like he belonged. That was a new feeling for him and it was also strange because he had just met the kid. "To the tunnel!" Demyx gestured to a rather ominous looking tunnel in an unfinished part of the park. It was cement and looked like an unfinished sewage line of some sort.

"The tunnel?" Xigbar raised his visible eyebrow. "What's so important about the tunnel?"

"I fixed it." Demyx grinned and started skipping over to the entrance. When he got there he let go of Zexion's hand in order to pull himself up into the darkness. A moment later the hand reappeared in order to assist Zexion. "Come on!" Demyx smiled down at him and Zexion took his hand and entered the tunnel. Everyone else soon followed except for Marluxia who was talking to Vexen over the phone about the party tonight. Apparently Xigbar had said Marly could bring someone.

"Um, Demyx?" Zexion questioned the blonde once a flashlight was turned on. "What do you mean you 'fixed' the tunnel?"

Demyx looked at him with a questioning look on his face. "You don't know?" Zexion shook his head. "This place used to be a huge party place and bands would play here and everything but part of the tunnel collapsed." Demyx explained. "But now Namine, Riku, and I fixed it all up! Come on!" Demyx was walking quickly through the cement tunnel and everyone had to rush to keep up seeing as he was the only one with a flashlight. The tunnel got narrower and narrower as they went through and soon even Zexion had to duck down to avoid hitting the ceiling. "Almost there!" Demyx called to the others as he stepped into a big open space that seemed really out of place.

"Took you guys long enough!" Riku walked in front of the flash light. "I've been down here forever! Can I turn the lights on now, Dem?"

Demyx jumped and yelped and Xigbar just laughed. "Alright, I'm tiered of surprises." He said and nodded to Riku. "Just turn the lights on, already! Xion's afraid of the dark."

"I am not!" The girl complained.

"Yah? Then what's up with the death grip on my arm?" Xion was about to reply when the lights shot on. Zexion shut his eyes quickly and put an arm up to his face to block the onslaught of light. "Wow…" Xigbar said in a breath and Zexion slowly lowered his arm and opened his eyes. His eyes widened at the spectacle before him. It was unlike any club he had ever seen. The ceiling was higher than he had though possible after standing in the tunnel for so long. There were couches along the walls and a bar stood on the right side. There were stools just around the bar and in the middle of the room there was a large open space for dancing. The floor was just concrete but it was still pretty awesome. And the main feature stood directly across from the entrance. There was the stage. It was raised about four feet from the ground and on both sides stood tall columns consisting of speakers and different colored lights.

"Well, Xigbar?" Demyx asked expectantly.

"Demyx this is amazing!" Xigbar was still looking around amazed.

Demyx was smiling from ear to ear. "If you want it to be legal I'll get a liquor license but it wasn't legal before so I don't see why it has to be now." He ran up to the stage and pulled himself up onto it before he stood there with his arms outstretched. "And we'll be the main act, of course!"

Axel laughed. "So this was the new gig you were talking about? 'Liquid Flame' playing in Twilight Town's next best club?" Demyx nodded excitedly. "So who owns the place?"

Demyx laughed. "If Xigbar wants it he can have it! If not Riku said he'd take over."

Xigbar laughed. "You know I can't take over until after collage, Demyx."

Demyx frowned. "Oh, yah…you have school…" He dug in his pocket and tossed the keys to Riku. "It's yours then!"

"Until after collage!" Xigbar interjected.

"Yah?" Riku grinned. "As long as I'm guaranteed a job as second in command when you take over I'm good." He snatched the keys and shoved them in his pocket. "After all, it wouldn't make sense if I kept this place for long. It is called 'The Eye Patch' after all. Lame name but Dem insisted."

Xigbar laughed. "You know me too well, Demyx!"

Demyx hopped off the stage and ran over to Zexion. "I have something to show you too." He whispered as the group started talking about the new club with the lame name. He grabbed Zexion's hand and dragged him to a door towards the back. "I think you'll like it more than the rest of them." Demyx opened the door and pushed Zexion in before he turned the lights on. "What do you think?" Demyx asked as he sat down on a near by couch.

Zexion was more impressed with this room then with the other. It was much smaller but cozier. The walls were gray and the floor was carpeted with black. There was a ceiling fan and there were black lounge chairs and couches spread around along with a few tables placed here and there. "What's this room for?" Zexion asked, his curiosity peaked.

"I don't know…" Demyx tilted his head to the side in thought. "A VIP room I guess…but you never answered my question! Do you like it?"

Zexion grinned. "Yes, actually. I really like it, Demyx." The name tasted so right on his tongue and lips. Why did he feel so comfortable around this person who was practically a stranger to him?

"Good! See, I thought you'd like it because you don't seem like a party person." Demyx stood up and grinned. "And you said you like black so…" He shrugged and started to walk back out to the main area. "But, hey, you are going to the party tonight, right?"

Zexion nodded. "It's not like I have a choice."

"Good!" Demyx practically jumped. "Because we're playing our new song tonight! I wrote it and I really REALLY want you to be one of the first people to hear it because…because…because I said so, that's why!"

Zexion smiled and shook his head. "Alright, I'll be there."

Before he knew what was happening Demyx had pulled him into a hug. "Good." He said before releasing the smaller boy and skipping back into the large room. Zexion stood there for a moment, stunned. What was that about? Why was he blushing? And why had that simple show of affection felt so good? He was straight, right? He had dated Larxene once…not that she was straight now…or maybe she was bi? He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts. No, this was not anything. He was confused. He walked back out into the big room and caught the group just as they were leaving. He would figure all of this out later.

"Zexion, dude, where you been?" Xigbar asked as he reappeared.

"No where, really." Zexion shrugged. "Demyx wanted to show me something.

Xigbar grinned and shrugged. "Alright, little dude." Zexion rolled his eyes as they started back out through the tunnel. Demyx was once again at the front of the group with the flashlight and Zexion couldn't help but stare at his ridiculous hair style.


	4. Chapter 4

"Wake up!" Zexion groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "Hello, sleepy head!" He looked into Demyx's eyes and felt himself blush.

"What...what happened?" He asked sleepily, rubbing his eye and trying to remember what had happened.

"You fell asleep in the van and so we left you out here for a while." Demyx grinned guiltily. "I said we should wake you up as soon as we got here but Marly said that was stupid so…we left you sleeping and now I want you to wake up and come in because we're about to play!"

Zexion sat up slowly and his blush got worse when he noticed that Demyx was sitting on his legs. "Um…Demyx?" He said the name slowly. "I…uh…can't feel…my…toes…"

"Oh! Sorry!" Demyx adjusted so he was sitting next to Zexion in the back of the van. "That better?"

Zexion nodded and adjusted his face so he was looking down so his blush wouldn't be visible. "Yeah…yeah…so…should we be going now?"

"Oh…yeah, ok!" Demyx grinned and opened the van, jumping out and holding his hand out for Zexion. Zexion took it and hopped out himself. "We don't start for another ten minutes so you can hang out with us backstage if you want to."

"Yeah, sure." Zexion followed Demyx to the backstage area and, when they reached the door, Demyx released his hand to open the door. "Hey, Demyx?"

Demyx looked at him and grinned. "Yeah, Zexy?"

"Uh…" He shook his head. "Never…nevermind."

"Oh, ok!" Demyx walked backstage and giggled before he turned to Zexion. "Does this mean I can call you Zexy now?"

"Huh?" Zexion raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't tell me not to call you that this time." He giggled some more and walked over to Xigbar who gave him a high five and they started chatting.

Zexion stood frozen for a moment before he walked over to a nearby overstuffed chair and sat down on it heavily. Why was he letting down his walls around Demyx? He had spent years trying to build up defenses to hide how he really felt. He didn't want people to know about his past and if he let down his walls… "Zexion, are you ok?" Zexion looked up to see Namine standing in front of him. "You're acting strange."

Zexion gave a weak smile and nodded. "I'm fine, Namine. Thank you."

Namine sat down on the arm of the chair. "Ok, but if you need anyone to talk to you can talk to me. I can keep a secret, alright?" She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

Zexion nodded. "Ok." He had only just met the girl but she seemed trustworthy. Not only that, but she was one of those people who wanted to help people. He could tell that much.

"Hey, dudes!" Xigbar called from the doors that lead to the club. "They're about to start!"

"We're coming!" Namine called and stood up, heading for the door. "Right?" She smiled at Zexion.

"Yeah, let's go." He smiled back at her and they walked out to the club together.

"Marluxia? Vexen? Are you two coming?" Namine asked over her shoulder and Zexion turned around to see Vexen pinned to a wall and Marly was almost on top of him. Vexen was obviously struggling and Marly seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

Marluxia pulled away from Vexen and grinned. "Ok, we're coming."

"Marluxia!" Vexen was still trying to free his hands from Marly's grip. "I will not be treated this way! If you-" He was cut off as Marluxia kissed him again with great force.

"Come on, Vexy." Marly said as he pulled back. "It's not that bad, is it?"

"Unhand me now." Vexen said, ice in his voice. "Or don't expect to hear from me again." Marly sighed and let go of Vexen's wrists.

"Come on, guys, let's go already!" Namine giggled and walked out the door followed by Zexion who was trying to get the disturbing snogging images out of his head. That was one thing he never needed to see.

Zexion headed towards the bar and sat down on a stool. "What can I get for you?" The bartender asked sweetly. "Oh, hey, you were here the other night, right?" She smiled at him. "You're really cute! I'm Selphie, by the way. You?"

Zexion gave her his best fake smile. "Zexion. And thanks…I think…" He laughed nervously. "Uh…I'll just have water please."

She grinned. "Sure, hun. Not much of a drinker, huh?" She got a clean glass out and filled it with tap water. "Here you go!"

"Hey, Selphie!" Someone called her from farther down the bar.

"Coming!" She winked at Zexion. "I get off at eleven."

He grinned at the girl as she walked away. "Ok." Maybe he would wait for her after. Maybe she could get his mind off of Demyx.

"Hey, everybody!" Zexion looked up at the stage to see the band. "We have a new song tonight we want to play for you. Our genius sitar player wrote it so if you don't like it keep it to yourself, got it memorized?" When he said this a few girls squealed and Zexion rolled his eyes. Got it memorized? How was that something to fawn over? "Ok, this song is called 'Secret'." Axel pointed to Xaldin who started playing an easy rhythm. A few seconds later Roxas joined in on his base and a few seconds after that Demyx joined on his sitar. The tune was simple but deep and a little sad. "_Never knew what I needed until I found you. Never knew how much I needed someone like you._" Axel started singing, his voice soft as he followed the tune the sitar had started. "_It's not like I can tell you. I don't think you'd understand. It's not like I know how to tell you what I feel inside._" The lyrics didn't rhyme perfectly and it was really simple but Zexion really liked it. He felt his heart start to beat in time with the music and he was genuinely smiling. The song came to a conclusion and the band started to play their regular songs and as soon as they had started they were done. Zexion sighed and jumped off the stool.

"Wow. You're shorter than I thought." Selphie looked at him from the bar and grinned. "You really are a cutie. Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, I know the band." She frowned slightly and Zexion grinned at her. Looking at her now she was about the same hight as him. Just a little bit shorter. "But I'll be back at eleven." She giggled and he waved as he walked towards the back stage door.

"Hey, little dude, talking to Selphie, huh?" Zexion turned to see Xigbar walking towards him. "What's up with that?"

Zexion grinned at him. "I'm meeting her later." He said simply.

Xigbar pulled his friend into a side hug. "Hey, back into the game, huh? I didn't know you wanted to date, dude. Every time I try to hook you up you always say you're too busy with school and work."

"Yeah, I'm not quite as busy now." He shoved his friend as they arrived at the backstage door.

"Just go in." Riku said quickly before continuing his make-out session with Sora.

"Xigy! Zexy!" Demyx ran up to the two. "Hey! Did you like the new song?"

Xigbar nodded and gave his friend a high five. "It was awesome, dude!" He grinned. "What's your inspiration?"

Demyx grinned and shook his head. "That's a secret!"

"Hey, Xigbar!" Axel walked up to the group. "Do you mind driving me and Roxy to the apartment? He had a headache and I don't want to force everyone to leave yet so…"

"Yah, yah, why can't you have Xaldin drive you?"

Axel rolled his eyes and gestured over his shoulder where Xaldin was sitting with a platinum haired guy with neatly trimmed facial hair. "He's with that guy and will not be disturbed."

Xigbar laughed. "Fine, fine, ok. I'll drive you, dude. Then I'm bringing the van back after so everyone else can have a ride."

"Yeah, of course!" Axel grinned and headed over to get Roxas who was lounging on one of the overstuffed chairs.

Xigbar grinned at Demyx and Zexion. "Be back soon, dudes." He headed towards the back door to get to the van and Axel soon followed carrying Roxas.

"So what did you think?" Demyx turned to Zexion who gave him a confused look. "What did you think of the song?"

"Oh!" He grinned. "It was great! I liked it."

"Really! You're not just saying that, are you?"

"No, I really did like it."

Zexion was crushed in a bone crushing hug. "Yay! I'm so glad you like it!"

"Demyx…can't…breath…" Zexion felt color rush to his cheeks and a moment later Demyx released him.

"Want to know a secret?" Demyx smiled at Zexion.

"Sure."

Demyx leaned in close to Zexion's ear and whispered, "You know who I wrote that song for."


	5. Chapter 5

Zexion felt heat creep into his cheeks as Demyx pulled back and grinned. "And now you have to guess!"

"Uh…" Zexion's heart was racing. He knew what he wanted. He wanted Demyx to have written the song for him. Why? He was straight, right? "Uh…Xion?"

Demyx wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "NO! She's, like, forever younger than me!" He held up a finger. "You get one more guess today!"

"Huh?" Zexion shook his head. "I don't know…Xigbar?"

Demyx shook his head. "Nope! Good guess though!" Demyx grinned when Zexion frowned. "Tell you what, I'll give you one week. Each day you get to guess one person and if you don't get it right by the end of the week I'll tell you."

Zexion smiled slightly. "Ok, and if I don't guess right and you have to tell me something will happen, right?"

Demyx giggled and winked. "Yah, there will be a penalty, but you have to wait and see what it is."

Zexion laughed nervously. "Alright, you're on."

"Demyx!" Axel complained. "Roxas has another headache. Let's get going, it's almost eleven anyway."

"Eleven?" Zexion blinked. "Oh, yeah! I have to meet someone!"

Demyx looked at him curiously. "Who are you meeting?"

"Selphie! I told her I would meet her after her shift."

Demyx frowned. "Oh…ok, have fun." He grinned weakly. "I'll see you later then, right! Bye!" Demyx ran out the door.

"Wow…" Axel whistled. "I've never seen him leave a room that fast…what did you say to him, man?"

Zexion blinked. "I…I don't know. I just told him I was going to see Selphie…"

"Yeah, that would do it." Axel winked at Zexion and went to go pick Roxas up off the couch. "You know, Roxy, we should go to the doctor to see if your headaches are normal. You get them a lot."

"Shut up, Axel." Roxas muttered as he was carried out to the van.

Zexion sighed and walked out of the backstage area and back into the club. He walked up to the bar just as Selphie was stepping out from behind it. "Zexion!" She grinned at him. "You didn't stick me up! I thought you would…" 

Zexion raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why would you think that?"

"Oh! Don't be offended!" Selphie bit her lip, her eyes getting big. "It's just…you were so distant earlier…I'm sorry!"

"What are you sorry for?" Zexion laughed. "You've done nothing wrong." He looked around at all the people still in the club. Who in their right mind partied all night long? It was insane… "Listen, do you mind if we get out of here and go somewhere quieter? I'm not one for clubs…"

"Yeah, sure!" Selphie grinned. "I don't like hanging out around the club after my shift anyway. A bunch of creepy guys hit on me." She grabbed Zexion's hand and dragged him towards the exit. "Alright," She smiled at him when they made it outside. "Where to?"

Zexion thought for a moment. "Do you like books?" He asked after a moment, immediately feeling stupid after the words left his mouth. What the hell kind of a question was that?

"Hell yeah!" She grinned. "Lord of the Rings happens to be the best thing ever! Not to mention, Terry Brooks is totally a genius!" She blushed and pushed on of her curls behind her ear. "I probably sound like a totally nerd right now…"

Zexion smiled at her. "Ever heard of Darren Shan?"

"Demonata, right?" She smiled broadly at him. "I didn't know anyone else read those."

"Lot's of people do." He grabbed her hand and started pulling her down the street. "Come on. I think I know a place you might really enjoy." He smiled as he led her to a little fantasy book store.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"Wow! I never knew that!" Selphie grinned as Zexion explained the similarities between Frodo and Sméagol. "You really know your stuff."

Zexion smiled. "I just really like books. All books, really." He chuckled. "I've actually read the entire dictionary."

"Really?" Selphie giggled. "Wow. You're more of a nerd than I am."

Zexion laughed and put the book they were looking at back on the shelf. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Selphies ring tone went off and she blushed as Big Girls Don't Cry sounded from her pocket. "Hold on a sec." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and hesitated before answering. "Hello? Tidus, you know that…but…I really…I don't want to." She turned her back to Zexion. "How do I know it won't be the same as every other time?" She drew a shaky breath. "Really? You mean it?" She nodded. "Alright…yah, I'll be back tonight." She hung up the phone and turned to Zexion. "Sorry. I have to go."

Zexion nodded. "Tidus? Who is he?"

Selphie blushed. "He's…my boyfriend…I'm really sorry, Zexion!"

Zexion grinned weakly and nodded. "No, it's ok. I get it." He looked down. "We can still hang out, though, right?"

Selphie smiled and nodded. "Yeah, of course." She pulled out a slip of paper and a pen from her purse and scribbled her number on it. "Here. Whenever you want to hang out just call, ok?" Zexion nodded and took the paper. "I'm really sorry! I though Tidus and I were done but…Please try to understand."

"It's fine, Selphie, I get it." Zexion said harsher than he had intended. Selphie stood awkwardly for a moment before leaving the small bookshop. Why didn't anything ever work out? What made Zexion so unattractive to everyone? Why didn't anyone love him? Even his parents had made their point clear. He was useless and shouldn't be here in the first place. He was an accident. Something no one wanted and Selphie had just deepened the scars. He let out a shaky breath and shook his head to prevent himself from crying. He would have to call Selphie later to apologize for snapping at her. It wasn't her fault he was undesirable. She wasn't to blame for him being unwanted…unneeded…unloved. He walked slowly out of the shop and caught the last bus back to the collage dorms. At least here he could be with Marluxia and Xigbar and at least pretend like he belonged.


	6. Chapter 6

Zexion pushed the keys into the lock and entered his dorm. He herd a movie playing and turned the corner to see Marluxia sitting with Vexen, Xigbar, Larxene, and Demyx. They were watching 'The Exorcist'. Larxene and Xigbar were both sitting on the floor and watching intently, Marluxia had a weird creeped out expression on his face. He was sitting on the couch with Vexen who was watching it as if it were the news, and Demyx was hiding behind the couch, peeking up every now and then and squeaking before ducking back down. "Marluxia?" Zexion raised an eyebrow. "Have you been going through my collection of DVD's again?"

Marluxia nodded. "Xigbar wanted to watch a good horror movie." He whispered. "And you have 322 of them ordered from best to worst and this was the first one there so…oh my god…" He covered his face and Vexen smirked. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Zexion how can you watch this stuff?" Demyx asked horrified from behind the couch. "It's awful!"

"Hush up, Demyx!" Larxene hissed and Demyx shrank back behind the couch. "This is a good part. She's crawling down the stairs backwards…"

Zexion rolled his eyes. "Demyx, if you don't want to watch this I can set you up with my laptop." Demyx stood up slowly, making a point not to look at the screen, before dashing through the door that divided the main room from the bedroom. Zexion sighed and followed Demyx. The dorm wasn't exactly a dorm. It was more like an apartment building on a college campus. This used to be an apartment complex but the college bought them out so the people who wanted to pay more could have nicer rooms. Marluxia came from an extremely rich family and he had known Zexion in high school so he had agreed to share a room with him. Because of the amount of money he could throw around doing anything with Zexion didn't have to pay a cent. It was a nice arrangement really. "Do you want to buy a movie off I-Tunes?" Zexion asked as he sat down on his bed, pulling his laptop onto his lap and logging on. He opened I-Tunes and waited for it to load. His laptop wasn't the best but at least he had one.

Demyx shook his head. "I don't want to use your money…"

Zexion shook his head. "I have about $100 of gift cards programmed in here that I'm never going to use so you can get whatever you want."

Demyx looked at him with a questioning look in his eye. "You don't listen to music?" He asked innocently and Zexion couldn't help but grin. He was so like a child.

"I love music, actually, but I-Tunes sells the watered down versions of songs. The sound quality is so much higher on cassette tapes and cds so I don't even own an I-Pod. I use a walk man or a portable cassette player." He shrugged. "Call me old fashioned but it sounds better."

Demyx grinned. "That's cool!" He sat down next to Zexion on the bed. "So you won't mind if I buy anything?"

"Not at all." Zexion handed his precious laptop to Demyx and watched as the blonde typed happily on the keyboard. "What movie are you getting?"

"'I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry'." Demyx grinned as he clicked the buy now button. "I really like that movie. I like comedies. Horror movies are too scary." He gave Zexion a look. "Why do you like them?"

Zexion shrugged. "Cheap thrills I guess." He leaned back onto the bed and looked at the ceiling. The truth was he liked horror movies because their lives where worse than his.

"Zexy?" Demyx looked down at him. "Do you want to watch with me?"

Zexion looked up at the blonde and smiled. "Sure."

"You know...you look nice without your hair covering your face." Demyx grinned and Zexion sat up so his hair covered his face again in order to hide the blush that was forming. Demyx giggled and put the laptop on the desk stationed next to the bed and clicked the play button. Demyx laughed loudly at times and even chuckled when it wasn't even that funny and Zexion found himself smiling the whole time. Not because he liked the movie. It wasn't even that funny to him. He was smiling because Demyx was happy and, for some reason, that made him happy. About half way through the movie Larxene came in the room and started looking through Zexion's DVD collection.

"Hey Zexion?" She asked from the shelf as she put 'The Exorcist' back in it's place. "Which is better? 'The Shining' or 'Prom Night'?"

"If you want really scary go with 'The Shining' but if you're just interested in cheap thrills go with 'Prom Night'." He responded over his shoulder.

"Alright, 'Prom Night' it is." She looked over at the laptop screen. "Wow…I didn't know you liked comedy, Zexion."

Zexion shook his head. "I don't." He shrugged. "Demyx didn't want to watch the movie alone so I said I would watch it with him."

"What, are you two dating now?" Larxene laughed and Zexion hid his blush beneath his hair. He wished they were… "Whatever. Just try not to pollute me with your happiness." She scoffed as she walked out of the room.

"Speaking of dating…" Demyx started when Larxene had left the room. "What happened with you and Selphie tonight? Are you two together now?" He stared at the screen as he spoke.

Zexion shook his head slowly. "No. Turns out she had a boyfriend and just wanted someone to hang out with…why do you ask?"

"No reason…" Demyx was silent for another moment. "Have you ever dated before?" He asked innocently.

"Yah." He gave Demyx a questioning look. "Why do you care?"

Demyx shrugged. "Just curious. Did I hurt your feelings?" He turned to Zexion with big, apologetic eyes. "Because if I did I'm really sorry!"

Zexion shook his head quickly this time. "No, no you didn't hurt my feelings at all! It was just a question, after all." He turned his face away quickly. It had just clicked in his mind that they were sitting very close to each other seeing as the bed was only a twin so it wasn't that wide. He adjusted his position slightly and turned his face to the screen.

"Zexy, are you ok?" Demyx asked suddenly and Zexion looked at him. "Your face is red and your hands are really cold." Zexion looked down at his hand to realize Demyx's was on top of his. "Are you sick or something?"

Zexion shook his head. "No, I don't think so…" He felt his face getting redder by the second. He was defiantly making a fool out of himself but why did it matter. He was just hanging out with Demyx alone in the bedroom on the bed…oh god. His internal monologue wasn't helping at all. "I'm fine really…"

Demyx shook his head. "You should lie down."

"Really, Demyx, I'm-"

"No!" Demyx cut him off. "If your sick you should lie down." Demyx stood up and pushed gently on Zexion's shoulders so he was lying down with his legs still dangling off the edge of the bed. Demyx kept his hands on Zexion's shoulders for a few seconds as if he was trying to make sure he wouldn't get up before he released the now scarlet faced boy. "I'm going to get you some aspirin and water."

"D-Demyx." Zexion started to sit up but Demyx pushed him back down. "I'm…I'm not sick, ok?" He said weakly. "I'm just…er…I'm a little cold is all." He lied quickly.

Demyx gave him a curious look. "You blush that much when you're cold?"

Zexion nodded. "Yeah! It's weird but, yeah. I blush a lot when I'm cold."

"Oh…" Demyx released his grip on Zexion and pulled one of the blankets off of Marluxia's bed. "You could have said so earlier."

"I tried to. You cut me off." Zexion grabbed the blanket and wrapped himself in it, glad for the slight feeling of enclosure.

The credits started rolling on the small laptop screen and Zexion looked over to see Demyx fast asleep with his legs dangling off the edge of the bed. Zexion smiled and shook Demyx's shoulder gently. The blonde rubbed his eyes sleepily and sat up. "Is the movie over already?"

"Yah." Zexion stood up. "You fell asleep."

"Oh…" He yawned and stretched. "I should go to bed…" He walked out the door of the bedroom. "Marly said I could sleep on the couch…" A minute after he left he was back in the bedroom again. "Never mind…Marly's molesting Vexy on the couch so I'll use Marly's bed…good night, Zexy…"

"Good night, Demyx." Zexion said quietly as he tried to sleep in his own bed but he couldn't. He couldn't fall asleep knowing the bubbly blonde was sleeping only a few steps away.


	7. Chapter 7

Zexion slowly opened his eyes when he smelt something great cooking in the small kitchen. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He felt like crap. His head ached from lack of sleep, his back ached from sleeping in an awkward position, and he couldn't feel his left arm because the way he had slept on it. How he had managed to fall asleep in such an awkward position was amazing. The fact he had even fallen asleep at all was even more amazing. He looked over at the other bed and noticed that Demyx wasn't there. He had probably left when he had woken up, and it made Zexion feel sad as well as relieved. He was sad because, for some unknown reason, he wanted to spend more time with the blond idiot. He wanted to get to know him better. Although he felt relieved because he didn't want to know anything about the blond. He didn't want anything to do with him because of the way he felt about him. Because he felt safe around him he didn't feel safe around him. It didn't make any sense to him and that's why he was glad Demyx was gone. He sighed and stood up, stretching his sore limbs. The alluring smell still came from the kitchen and he looked down at himself realizing he was still in his cloths from the other night. Zexion yawned as he walked out of the bedroom.

"Marluxia, what are you cooking?"

"I'm not!" Marluxia grinned looking up from the couch. "I don't cook, remember?"

Zexion's forehead screwed up in confusion as he turned away from the couch and towards the kitchen. To his surprise he saw Demyx standing over the small stove with a pan in one hand and a spatula in the other.

"Hey, Zexy!" Demyx grinned. "I'm making French toast. Hope you like it!" He grinned and picked up the last piece of french toast from the pan with the spatula and put it on a plate.

"I was going to wake you up earlier but I didn't want to be rude. You look so cute when you're sleeping." He said as he turned off the stove. Zexion felt heat rush up his neck and into his face as he sat down at the small table.

"You didn't have to do that." He said slowly.

"Yes, I did." Demyx grinned as he put a plate in front of Zexion and then one in Marluxia's usual seat.

"Hey, Marly, if you don't sit at the table you don't get to eat."

Marluxia frowned and stood up. "You sound like my mother…"

"Really?" Demyx giggled. "Well, sorry! You eat at a table. The couch is for sitting, sleeping, and sex. Not eating."

Marluxia sat down and looked at the food in front of him.

"Well, at least we get real food for a change." He shrugged and took a bite. "Wow, Dem, this is really good!"

Zexion took a small, skeptical bite of his and felt his lips twitch upward into a small smile. "It really is, Demyx." He commented. "Where did you learn to cook?"

Demyx beamed. "My grandma taught me. If I never become a famous musician I plan on being a chef!" He started humming to himself as he washed the pan off in the sink.

Marluxia looked over at Demyx. "Yeah, you grew up with your grandma, right?" Demyx nodded. "If she can cook like this she must be pretty amazing."

"She was." Demyx agreed.

"Was?" Zexion wondered aloud. If someone said 'was' or 'were' that either meant the person was physically dead or dead to the person. At least that was from Zexion's experience with the two words.

"Yup." Demyx turned off the sink and put the clean pan away. "She died last month." He grabbed an overstuffed back pack that he had been carrying with him and slung it over his shoulder. "I'll see you guys later. Thanks for letting me spend the night!" He waved as he closed the door behind him. Marluxia and Zexion shared a moment of silence before the door opened once again.

"And if you ever need a good meal you know where to find me!" Demyx grinned and closed the door for the second time.

"He's like a sugar coated sex toy…" Marluxia mumbled sleepily and stood up to pour himself some coffee.

Zexion rolled his eyes and took a few more bites of the delectable breakfast in front of him. "Why do you call everyone younger or shorter than you a sex toy?" He asked the pink haired male, slightly annoyed.

"Because with a snap of my fingers they all will be, my little Zexy sex toy." Marluxia snapped his fingers in front of Zexion's face.

"I'm not getting on my knees for you, pervert." Zexion put his now empty plate in the sink. "Where does Demyx live anyway?"

"Why do you want to know?" Marluxia leaned over the counter and looked at Zexion, an evil grin forming on his face. "Do you have a tiny winy Zexy crush on him?"

Zexion raised an eyebrow at Marluxia. "I don't understand this alien language you are speaking in." He sighed. "I just figure he must live pretty far away if he needed to spend the night last night."

Marluxia waggled his eyebrows at Zexion, the grin still etched on his face. "I'm sure that's not the only reason you want to know…"

"Just answer the damn question, flower boy." Zexion shot a glare in Marluxia's direction and the smile fell from his face.

"I take offence to that statement." He pouted.

"And I don't give a damn…"

"He doesn't live anywhere." Marluxia shrugged and Zexion gave him a questioning look. "He's homeless, alright? He used to live with his grandma but she lived to far away from the city and he doesn't have a high paying job in music, so now he wanders and crashes on everyone else's couches."

"Then where did he get the money for the club?"

"He didn't need any money. He used what he found lying around. The sound system was already down there, the couches were all junk that furniture stores desperately wanted to get rid of; and the rest is pretty much the same. Junk that no one wanted. He wanted to keep the place for himself but he didn't have enough money to keep it running so he gave it to Xigbar as a birthday present. Demyx is a roamer anyway. He doesn't want to get tied down to anything or anyone." Marluxia walked into the bedroom. "I'm going to take a shower."

Zexion sat down on the couch and flipped on the news. There were three things that were bothering him: He hadn't had time to shower in three days, he was extremely worried about Demyx now that he knew what was going on in the adorable boy's life, and he didn't know why he though about him so much. Not to mention, when did he start thinking of Demyx as adorable? There was either something extremely wrong going on or something extremely right. No one had ever made Zexion feel like this before. Not even his best friend had ever been this comfortable to be around. But with Demyx it wasn't just that he was comfortable he was also totally uncomfortable around him. It didn't make any sense. Being around Demyx made him feel hot and cold, sick and well, bad and good. It was all so confusing and he didn't want to take it anymore but he wanted to figure it out. There was only one person he wanted to talk to about any of this. Zexion pulled out his cell phone and clicked the speed dial for his best friend, number five. "Hello?" He asked as soon as he heard someone pick up the phone.

"Zexion?" He heard his usually silent friend say from the other end

"Lexaeus?" Zexion smiled slightly. "We haven't seen each other in a while. Want to meet me at the old book store?"

"Don't you have school?" The low voice questioned from the other end.

"No one will care if I'm gone." He replied. "I need to talk to you."

"See you soon." The line went dead and Zexion hung up the phone. Lexaeus had always been a man of few words.

B/N: Yeah that's right, Beta notes. Plz leave a review guys! This girl is awesome, this story is awesome. Don't you think there should be some awesome reviewers too? Hearts yeah! (get it hearts?) *hands out pocky and runs away*  
~Underthedarkness


	8. Chapter 8

Zexion walked through the door to the book store and the little bell rang on top of the door. It was a familiar sound and Zexion smiled as the smell of clean paper assaulted his nostrils. He walked in and looked over at the counter and was greeted with a familiar face. "Hey, Saix." He smiled at the man who owned the shop. "It's been a while."

Saix looked at the boy in front of him, his face as blank as ever. "Hello, Zexion. Are you here to buy anything specific or are you just browsing?"

Zexion shook his head. "I was going to meet Lexaeus here but I could use a new book." He shrugged and leaned against the counter. "Any new fantasy novels out?"

Saix nodded and pointed to a shelf next to the only table in the shop. "The new books are over there. Fantasy is on the third shelf down."

Zexion raised an eyebrow. "You moved them from the top?"

A hint of amusement touched Saix's features. "I thought you were tired of having to grab a step stool and stand on tip toe to get to the books."

Zexion rolled his eyes. "Well, thank you for your consideration." Zexion walked towards the back and stood on tip toe to reach the fantasy shelf. He could hear Saix snicker behind him and he ignored the taller man as he grabbed a random book. "Dragon Knight….looks good." He sat down at the table. "How's your husband?" Zexion looked over at the counter towards Saix. He had gotten married to a man named Xemnas in Canada two years ago. Xemnas also happened to be the twin brother of Ansem, one of Zexion's favorite teachers. Although it was technically Ansem junior because Ansem senior owned the school. That was probably why Ansem junior had gotten the job in the first place…

"He's well, thank you for asking." Saix nodded. "He got promoted to head cardiac surgeon at Kingdom Hearts Hospital."

"Really?" Zexion nodded. "That's good. He's been wanting that spot for a while, right?" Saix gave a small nod in response. "What happened to the other guy?"

"If you mean the former head surgeon he died." Saix smiled slightly. "It's kind of ironic, actually. He died of a heart attack."

Zexion laughed lightly and a moment later the little bell rang and Lexaeus walked into the shop. His head nearly brushed the top of the tall door and he had to squeeze to fit through the narrow frame. He nodded in Saix's direction and Saix nodded back in greeting before he sat down on one of the chairs at the table across from Zexion. "Hello, Lexaeus." The man nodded. His face was hard and still as he normally expressed all of his emotions through his eyes. The man wasn't a very vocal person and most people were intimidated by his imposing physique although girls tended to make friends with him because he was quite a gentlemen and could beat up any street punk with mischief on his mind. He had been Zexion's savior back in high school and Zexion considered him one of his only true friends. Him and Xigbar were the two people he was closest to. "I need your help with something…" Zexion saw a hint of concern in the man's eyes before he started to attempt to explain the things he had been feeling around Demyx. He was usually very eloquent when speaking but now his sentences were choppy and he had trouble finding words.

There was a moment of silence when Zexion finished before Lexaeus finally spoke. "Have you ever experienced love before?"

Zexion's eyes widened and he shook his head, flustered. "But he's….it's not…I mean…it can't-"

"Think on it." Lexaeus looked at Zexion in the eye. "You never know. It comes fast and unexpected and it can happen to anyone and for anyone." The man stood up and started for the door. "Expect a wedding invitation from me soon." He said as he squeezed through the door once more.

Zexion looked at the door with a puzzled expressing. "He's…he's getting married?"

"That does seem to be the case." Saix tapped the counter. "Are you going to buy that book or just sit there all day?"

Zexion walked up to the counter slowly and paid for the book. His mind was spinning. Not only did Lexaeus's theory shock and confuse Zexion but his announcement had surprised and excited him. He didn't even know Lexaeus had been dating and now he was getting married? Zexion shook his head. They hadn't kept in touch and now, looking back on how long it had been sense their last meeting, Zexion felt like he had missed too much. "-but not this time!" Zexion stopped as he heard a familiar voice. "I don't care how many times you try to make me change my mind, I'm leaving this time!" He looked down the ally he had been about to pass and saw Selphie with two bags in her hands yelling through an open door while tears streamed down her face. She had a black eye and a split lip and didn't look at all like the girl he had met at the club. "I've had enough, Tidus!"

She started to walk down the ally in the opposite direction of Zexion and a man walked out of the door behind her, a bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other. "No, you're not leaving! Get back here right now!" He threw the half empty bottle against a wall near Selphie's head and she squeaked and started walking faster. "Get back here, bitch!" He ran up behind her and grabbed her arm with his now free hand.

"Let me go!" She struggled against him but his grip was too strong and he shoved her against the wall.

"You're not leaving, you hear?" He twisted her around and held her hand behind her back. The cigarette that was still in his hand caught his eye and he pressed the lit tip against her wrist. She cried out in pain and Zexion had had enough. He ran down the ally and grabbed the first thing he could get his hands on, a fat wooden board. He stood behind Tidus and, making sure not to hit Selphie, he grabbed the board with both hands and hit Tidus on the back of the head as hard as he could. The man's eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground, releasing Selphie as his muscles relaxed.

Selphie immediately clutched the burn mark on her wrist and turned around to look at who her savior had been. "Zexion!" She gasped, tears still waterfalling from her eyes. "How did you find me?" She let got of the burn and wiped the tears from her face.

"I was walking by and heard you yelling." He looked down at the man as he pulled out his phone. "I'll call the police and-"

"No!" She shook her head frantically. "Please don't." Her voice was shaking and Zexion nodded slowly. He had heard stories about people protecting their abusers and he wasn't about to argue with the girl. She had been through enough today.

"Should I bring him inside?" He asked and she nodded.

"I'll help you…"

Zexion shook his head. "You'd better go sit down. I'll manage." Again the girl nodded and she walked slowly inside the place after grabbing her bags. Zexion sighed as he watched her go. She was wearing long jeans but it was obvious her legs were injured as well from the way she was walking. He looked down at the man and shook his head and he squatted down to pick him up. He was heavier that expected but Zexion somehow managed to pick him up and, on shaky legs, brought him inside. The house was in bad condition but it was two stories. Downstairs there was a beat up sofa in front of a TV and a small door that Zexion assumed went to the kitchen. He walked over to the sofa and set the man down there before relaxing his muscles and taking a breath. Not only did the house smell bad but Tidus reeked of alcohol. Zexion shook his head and sat on the arm of the sofa.

"Will he be all right?" Selphie asked as she walked out of the kitchen, a wet wash cloth pressed to the burn mark on her wrist.

"He's just passed out." Zexion said. "But I think you should go to a hospital. You don't look like your in good very good shape."

Selphie shook her head. "Thanks for caring but there would be to many questions…" She looked down at the floor. "There are always too many questions…"

"Then at least stay at my place for a while." Zexion stood up and looked the girl in the eyes. "No one should be treated this way."

She looked down. "He's not normally like this-"

Zexion put a hand on her should and she looked back in his eyes, tear welling up again. "Just a few days is all I ask. I have a friend training to be a doctor. Let him have a look at you and you won't have to go to a hospital and there will be no questions. I promise." The girl nodded slowly.

"Let me grab my things…" She said quietly and walked back into the kitchen. A minute or two later she came back out with her two bags and a note in her hand. She put it down on a small table next to the sofa and Zexion gave her a questioning look. "It says I'm staying with a friend for a while. It doesn't say who or where…" She looked down. "You can read it if you like…"

Zexion shook his head. "No, it's fine. Let's go." He opened the door for Selphie and followed after her, not looking back at the couch. He never wanted to see that guys face again. Zexion took Selphie's bags and they walked down the ally, Zexion only stopping to pick up the book he had dropped earlier. The cover and front pages were a bit wet because it had landed in a small puddle but it was still readable. He hadn't even realized he had dropped it until he saw it walking away from the house. They took a bus back to Zexion's apartment and besides the occasional question the trip was silent. Soon they arrived at the apartment and Zexion kicked the door until Marluxia opened up.

"Where the hell where you?" He asked. "We were supposed to...who's this?" Marluxia's face changed to worry as he looked at the girl. "Oh, sweetheart…" He immediately moved aside, not questioning any further. Zexion set the bags down next to the couch and Selphie sat down, Marluxia immediately sitting down next to her. "Are you alright?" He put a hand on her back as Zexion pulled out his cell phone and pushed #2.

"Xigbar here." He heard the cheery voice on the other line.

"Hey, Xigbar, can you come over? It's important."

"What happened this time?" He heard the man laugh on the other end. "Did Marly molest you again?"

Zexion shook his head even though he knew Xigbar couldn't see. "We need your basic practitioner skills." He said. "Selphie's here and she's not in good shape."

There was a moment of silence. "Tidus?"

"Yah…no questions, though."

"Alright. I'll be right there. How serious?"

"I'm not sure." Zexion glanced over at the girl who was now talking with Marluxia. "There's a nasty burn on her wrist but she's wearing a long sleeve turtle neck and jeans so that's all I know."

"Ok." He heard something rustle in the back ground. "I'll be there soon."

Zexion snapped his phone shut and walked up behind the couch. "Do you need anything?" He asked Selphie softly.

"Could I get a glass of water?" She asked and looked at Zexion. He noticed fresh tears on her face. She cried a lot but he couldn't blame her. It's not like he knew how she felt but it couldn't be good.

Zexion nodded. "Of course." He walked towards the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge. His phone started vibrating and he pulled it out of his pocket and read a text from Xigbar.

_Dem and Xion are crashin at my place. They come 2?_

_ Sure. No questions._ Zexion put his phone back in his pocket and handed the water bottle to Selphie. "Thanks…" She twisted off the cap and took a long sip of water, draining about half the bottle. His phone went off again and he pulled it out. _Xion says staying at Kairi house. Just Dem coming._

Zexion sighed. Usually he would be annoyed at Xigbar's texting but he wasn't going to mention that now. _Fine._

Marluxia looked over at Zexion. "You called Xigbar?"

Zexion nodded. "Yeah, he'll be here soon."

Selphie looked up. "Xigbar?"

"He studied as a general practitioner before switching to study neurosurgery." Zexion said simply.

"Alright…" Selphie smiled slightly. "Xigbar and I have been friends for a while."

Marluxia nodded. "You'll be fine, sweetheart. Do you want to watch anything on TV or is there anything you want to eat? I have a secret chocolate storage in my room."

Selphie shook her head. "Thanks, Marluxia, but I'm fine."

There was a knock at the door and Zexion opened it. "Hey, Zexion." Xigbar greeted as he and Demyx walked into the apartment. "Hey, Selphie. How you doing?"

"I've been better." She replied with a weak smile.

"Come on, Selph. Let's go to the bedroom and get you patched up." They walked into the other room and closed the door. In a usual situation Zexion would not trust Xigbar alone in a room with a girl but this was not a normal situation. Not only that but Selphie seemed to trust him.

"Hey, Zexy." Demyx gave him a weak smile and Zexion simply nodded. Demyx sat down on the couch and stared blankly at the TV. Marluxia flipped the TV on to a bad soap opera and Zexion, for once, decided to sit down on the couch and watch TV with Marluxia. It just seemed like something to keep his mind off the situation. Marluxia was on the far right side of the couch and Demyx was in the middle so Zexion sad on the far left making sure to keep a little bit of space between him and Demyx. Sitting there, so close to the man who kept invading his thoughts, he started to think back to what Lexaeus had said. Could he be right? He dared a glance over at Demyx who was still staring blankly at the screen. His eyes seemed to be dead and he had a look Zexion had never thought he would see on the man's face.

"Demyx?" Demyx showed no sign of having heard Zexion. "Are you alright?" He nodded slowly and continued to stare at the screen. Maybe this situation was too much for the simple minded man or maybe there was something hidden beneath all the joy that no one knew about. Zexion turned his head back to the screen and watched as a girl broke down in tears on her bed as only a soap opera star can do. Everything in these shows had always seemed too dramatic to be close to real life but maybe it was a touch closer to reality then Zexion would want to admit.


	9. Chapter 9

A hand ran through Zexion's hair as he slowly came out of sleep. He kept his eyes closed, trying to grasp onto the dream that was slowly slipping away from memory. He couldn't remember every little detail but he did know that it was a happy dream. A little piece of light in the darkness that seemed to be returning to his life. "Yuffie…?" He kept his eyes closed wanting to believe that his sister was there but he knew deep down that she wasn't. He knew she never would be there again… Reality kicked in and Zexion slowly peeled back his eyelids. The first thing he realized was that he slept in his contacts so his eyes were stinging like crazy so he closed them again to try to relieve some of the pain. The second thing he realized was that someone was indeed stroking his hair but it was not his sister. The hand had stopped moving when Zexion had opened his eyes the first time but it was still there just above his forehead. After another moment Zexion's eyes opened once more.

He was laying down on the couch in the front room. The T.V. was still on but the rest of the lights were turned off so the only light was the constantly changing one coming from the T.V. His head was resting on Demyx's lap and Demyx's hand was resting on Zexion's hair. With the lighting it was hard to tell exactly but Zexion though he saw Demyx blushing. Zexion would have been blushing too but he was too tired. Zexion lifted his right hand, which had been resting next to his head, and brought it up to his eyes, where he quickly took out his contacts, and flicked them to the floor before sitting up slowly and putting on the pair of glasses he kept in his pocket. "What time is it?" He asked sleepily.

"I don't know. Really late…" Demyx said. His gaze was fixed on Zexion's hand.

"What are you looking at?" Zexion yawned and started to bring his hand up to rub his eyes but Demyx caught it. He pushed up the long sleeve slightly to reveal Zexion's wrist. Zexion stiffened slightly as he realized what Demyx had discovered.

Demyx gently traced one of the many scars that littered Zexion's wrist. "Why?" He asked quietly.

Zexion was silent and tense. He had been careful for a long time not to show his wrists to anyone. The only one who knew was Lexaeus and now…and now he had let his guard down to someone he barely knew. "I don't want to talk about it…" Zexion said quietly and stared at the T.V. He wasn't paying attention to it but it was better than looking at Demyx. Normally he would be fine with staring someone in the eye and straight out lying but with Demyx…it was different somehow. If he were to look Demyx in the eye he knew he would never be able to lie to him and he didn't know why.

"Zexion…" Demyx audibly sighed next to him. "Um…do you think Marly is actually asleep?" Zexion looked down at Marluxia who had somehow fallen off the couch and was sound asleep on the floor. Zexion nodded slowly and Demyx got a better grip on Zexion's hand but continued to trace his scars. The feeling was strange but somehow calming. "If I tell you a secret will you tell me one?" Demyx asked softly.

The question startled Zexion enough to make him look up at Demyx. He was looking at him intently, his big blue eyes were wide and it looked like he was about to cry. Zexion looked into Demyx's eyes and felt like he couldn't look away. He felt like he couldn't say no. "O-ok…" He said slowly and Demyx looked back down at Zexion's wrist.

"When I was…When I was seven…" Demyx started slowly. "When I was seven my daddy lost his job. He gave up on everything…before that everything was fine but then he started drinking. He spent most of the money we had on any alcohol he could get his hands on." Demyx's jaw hardened and Zexion was still looking at his face. "Soon he started to…he st-started to…" A tear rolled down Demyx's cheek and Zexion wanted to wipe it away or look away or do something but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything but sit and listen to Demyx's story. "He started to hit mommy…He left me alone but every night…I would hear them fighting…and they would…they would throw things and one night…one night I…" Demyx swallowed back his tears and looked up into Zexion's eyes. "…I heard a gun shot…" He stared at Zexion for a moment before looking back down at his hand.

There were a few moments of silence between the two. Zexion didn't know what to say he didn't know what to do. He just sat there like an idiot and stared at Demyx. He never would have known. The boy acted so happy and carefree all of the time. It was hard to believe that he hid so much underneath it all. The tears were still flowing down Demyx's cheeks silently and Zexion lifted his free hand and cupped Demyx's chin in his hand. He wiped the tears away with his thumb and forced Demyx to look into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Demyx…" He whispered. Demyx's lip quivered and he fell into Zexion's arms and cried into his chest. Zexion was shocked for a moment but after a moment he wrapped his arms around the blonde and stroked his hair comfortingly. He didn't know what else to do. Thoughts of the blonde ran through his head. His past, how he was now, all the things he had learned about him. And now seeing Demyx cry was making his heart break.

**(A/N)Short chapter but I'm giving you Zexy's past next chapter. I didn't know how to continue this bit so this is it for now. :) Enjoy, my zombies**

**(B/N) Give us some love! Leave a review and maybe some pocky!**


	10. Chapter 10

** For all of you internet zombies who are still waiting for me to post,**

** I AM SO SORRY! School decided "hey, let's not give this chick any time to write so all the people on the internet will want to gut her like a pig! That sounds like a great idea!" So…yah…sorry. But, BUT! I promise to have two new chapters up in December, yah? OK? Sorry to all of you who hate me…*Tosses digital pocky* It's not the best but….gah! ENJOY!**

_Last night Demyx had told his story. Last night Demyx had fallen asleep crying. And this morning he was acting like nothing had happened…_Zexion shook his head. The thoughts were confusing him. How could he act as if nothing had happened when he had just- "We should go to the amusement park." Demyx smiled a he handed Zexion a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast. "Marly, you're not invited." Marluxia frowned and Zexion looked up as Selphie walked out of the bedroom, smiling.

"Hi, boys. What's cooking?" She sat down at the only remaining seat at the small table.

"Eggs, bacon, and toast" Demyx smiled and handed her a plate, spatula still in hand. "And yours is smiling." And it was true. The bacon formed smiling lips and the eyes were two eggs placed neatly on top of the toast.

Zexion shoved the two peaces of bacon to the side of his plate and nibbled a piece of toast. "That's cute!" Zexion rolled his eyes as Marluxia looked at her plate. "It's smile is almost as goofy as yours, Dem." Marly looked up from the plate and grinned at Demyx. "You know, with that face and that ass you could really-"

"So, Zexy, do you wanna go?" Demyx changed the subject.

Zexion shrugged. "Sure." He remembered what had happened last night. He still had yet to tell his story and he was thinking the amusement park might be the perfect place. The Farris Wheel at Genesis Park had a nasty habit of breaking down in the middle of rides. Especially when Zexion was at the top…

Demyx grinned. "Great! 'Cuz I was already meeting some friends of mine there and Sephy sponsors the place or whatever so I get in free now. And I'm meeting Rikku and Paine there and Sora and Riku might show up…Yah, both Rikus might be there so I'll get confused. And I want you to meet Paine too 'cuz she's awesome and she's Riku's aunt because she's Sephys sister and-"

"You talk too much." Zexion chuckled as Demyx covered his mouth. "When are we going? I'm free until 7:30 pm. I have all night classes today."

"Perfect! Let's go right now!" Demyx grabbed onto Zexion's arm and tried to pull him out of his chair. "We could get there before the morning crowd!" Selphie and Marluxia were giggling at this point and starting whispering to each other followed by more whispers.

"Demyx…" Zexion detached the spastic blondes hands from his robe sleeve. "I'm not dressed yet. We'll leave in twenty minutes when we're both ready, ok?"

Demyx frowned and took off his apron. "Ok, fine. I'll wait…" Then he cracked a grin. "And while you work on looking like a sexy Zexy, I'll make us a lunch!"

Zexion felt himself blush slightly and headed towards the bedroom. "Work it, sexy Zexy!" Marluxia laughed from the table which received much giggling from Selphie.

"Shut up, flower boy." Zexion growled over his shoulder as he locked the door and started preparing for his shower. He didn't know why he was being so nice to Demyx. If it were anyone else he would probably be mentally abusing them right now. But he didn't want to be mean to Demyx for some reason. It was…new. He was so used to pushing people away.

"Hey, Zexy!" Demyx called loudly through to door and over the sound of he water. "Do you not eat meat?"

Zexion frowned. "Yeah, I'm a vegetarian."

There was a moment of awkward silence before the reply. "Ok, 'cuz you didn't…ok."

Zexion frowned and turned off the water. What was that about…

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Demyx hopped out of the buss and onto the sidewalk out side of Genesis Park. "I'm so excited!" He said once again. He had probably said that more than twenty times sense they left the building. "Oh, you get in free too!"

Zexion looked at Demyx with a slightly confused expression. "What?"

"Because Sephy said I could bring one person and we could both get in free. So this date's on me!" Zexion blushed at the word date and was once again glad for his hair style. "Come on! We're almost there!"

Demyx continued skipping towards the entrance and Zexion was never far behind. He couldn't get over how childlike the blonde was. He seemed so innocent and so…cute. And what Marluxia had said about his ass… "Rikku! Paine!" Zexion looked up in time to see Demyx glomping two girls, a blonde and a silverette. They were both only slightly shorter than Demyx but still taller than Zexion and he couldn't help but feeling a bit depressed. Everyone was taller than him… "How have you guys been?"

"Superific!" The blonde girl replied as the hug ended. She grabbed the other girls arm but the red eyed silverette's face remained stoic, her gum smacking obnoxiously. "And guess what?"

"Oh! What?" Demyx grinned and looked at the girl expectantly.

"I got new beads! See?" She pulled at one of her braids revealing a few pink purple and white beads.

"I like them! They match your outfit too!" Demyx grinned and Zexion rolled his eyes. So did the other girl, Paine.

"Come on, guys." The stoic girl said. "Let's get in the park before it officially opens." She unhooked the hyper blonde girl from her arm and headed towards the gate and Zexion couldn't help notice the similarity between this girl and Demyx's hair. They probably went to the same hair stylist... "I don't want to have to wait in too many lines."

"Aw, Dr. P!" Rikku pouted. "You're no fun!"

"Don't call me that!" She called over her shoulder as she unlocked the gate and headed in. Rikku followed after her and Demyx smiled.

"Come on, Zexy." Demyx grabbed hold of the boy's hand and dragged him towards the gate. Zexion obediently followed the blonde, not that he had much choice, and Paine unlocked the gate allowing them to enter without paying for admission.

"Hey, hey!" It took a moment for Zexion to register that the blonde girl had grabbed him from behind and was now hugging him, looking at him from over his shoulder. "I don't know you." She stated simply as if that would explain everything.

Zexion ducked under her arms and faced her. "My name is Zexion. It's nice to meet you." He held out his hand for a shake and the girl just looked at it with a confused expression.

The silver haired girl rolled her eyes once more and grabbed Zexion's hand, giving it a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, Zexion. I'm Paine and this is Rikku. Demyx has told us a bit about you."

"Don't tell him that!" Demyx's face flushed and Zexion found himself smiling. He was just too cute… "He'll think I'm a stalker or something…"

"But you slept at his house!" Rikku chimed in, her beads clanging against each other as she skipped over to him. "That means your friends so you're allowed to talk about each other, right, Dr. P?"

Paine rolled her eyes. "Sure…"

"Out of curiosity…" Zexion glanced at Rikku. "You and the other Riku have the same name. It's not a very common name, is it?"

Rikku giggled and Paine nodded. "It was Yuna's idea. She's male Riku's mother. She said if she ever had a daughter she would name her Paine. We're all close friends and have been through a lot together."

Zexion raised an eyebrow. "I hope you don't feel this question rude but how old are you two? And how old is Riku?" At this point Demyx had grabbed Zexion's and the group was headed towards one of the rides.

"Riku just turned 17." Paine said. "I'm 32, this Rikku is 29, and Yuna is the oldest. She's 36. Not that she looks it."

"So she had Riku when she was only 19…" Zexion mused.

"How did you know that?" Demyx and Rikku asked at the same time.

"Subtraction." Zexion answered quickly before returning to the conversation at hand. "How old is your brother."

"He's 43 now." She shrugged. "And he did the responsible thing and married Yuna. And they're still together for Riku's sake even though they are far from happy. Yuna wanted to marry Tidus and when she told him he was devastated and turned to alcohol to solve his problems. And Sepheroth was always attracted to some kid named Cloud but he always got turned down. And then he liked a girl named Yuffie but something happened. I never found out what. Anyway, one night Yuna and Sepheroth went out and got drunk and she got knocked up."

"Yuffie?" Zexion asked, his eyes glazing over.

"Yah." Paine gave him a sideways glance as they arrived at the rollercoaster. "You know her?"

"Yah…I knew her…" Zexion mumbled, blindly stepping onto the ride.


End file.
